Three of our rotaractors Jaymee, Eric & Carter got the opportunity to be facilitators at this years YAIL this past weekend at Alexandra Neighbourhood House in Crescent Beach, Surrey. It was a three day leadership camp for youth ages 15-18 from Canada and the USA within district 5050.

They were apart of such an amazing group of leaders from all over the district. Many of whom have participated and facilitated at RYLA.

Eric & Jaymee also were given the opportunity to present to all 60 students on different aspects of rotary, topics including: Rotaract, Interact, Rotary, YES program, Youth Exchange, RYLA and the SASSY awards. What a phenomenal weekend to change lives!

President Jaymee attended the Area D Christmas Breakfast December 5th at the Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam and got the opportunity to speak on behalf of the club and tell all the rotarians what we’ve been up to!

What a great morning filled with yummy food and great conversation, so many of the rotarians were happy to have a rotaractor attend!

To end off the month right before Christmas, President Jaymee & Vice President Kendra got the opportunity to deliver the food and gifts on behalf of the club. Each year we try to sponsor a family through Share Food Bank, this year we were fortunate enough to take on two families and we were beyond excited to be able to give back to these families in our communities! Big thanks to Eric, Kimberley, Sarah, Carter & Evan for contributing to this years hampers! Way to go Rotaractors!

In November our Club held our fifth pub night at Townhall Coquitlam to raise funds for the Polio Foundation, the whole event was a great success.

We ended up raising $905.50 which when matched by rotary international and The Bill and Melinda gates Foundation it ends up making out to be $2716! What an amazing achievement for our club! Thank you to everyone who came out and to all the rotaractors the donated their time to make the event a success!

We had our first ever Pumpkin Carving Social on October 25th at the Port Moody Recreation Centre. We voted for the “best” pumpkin at the end of carving, whomever carved the “best” pumpkin got awarded with a donation in their name to the SHARE food banks for our version of Halloween for Hunger this year!

Austin Taylor, President from the Whidbey Island Rotaract Club won our Pumpkin Carving Social!

We had an amazing turnout with rotaractors from all over the district coming out to have some halloween fun with us!

We’ve been keeping busy these past few years with so many exciting fundraisers and events! Here is a quick recap on what we’ve been up to recently:

RYIA’s Facilitator team

A few of our rotaractors got the be apart of the first ever RYIA (Rotary Youth In Action Summit) held at Loon Lake Lodge and retreat centre in March 2017 put on by the Port Moody Rotary Club. It was a leadership summit for youth ages 14-17 where they got to listen to speakers and participate in activities to strengthen their leadership skills and potential.

Rotaractor Mike at the first interact meeting!

RYIA was a such a great success, so much so that the first interact club was created in the Tri-Cities consisting of youth that attended RYIA!

In May of 2017 four of our Rotaractors (Jaymee, Kendra, Darpan and Mike) got to attend RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) in Mount Baker, Washington. Very similar to RYIA but for an age group of 18-30 where they got to further develop their leadership skills!

In July we had our first ever Installation night shared between the rotaract clubs in district 5050, it was a wonderful evening where district Governor Lindagene came and inducted the new executive for each of the clubs! Definitely a night to remember!

Facilitator training for RMYIS

In November Jaymee and Mike got the chance to facilitate at RMYIS (Ridge Meadows Youth Impact Summit) at Loon Lake Lodge and Retreat Centre. They had a wonderful time connecting and working with some really passionate young people!

In December we collected food donations and non-perisables in Port Coquitlam and delivered them to the CP Holiday Train for The Share Society it was a great success in one neighbourhood we were able to fill a mid-sized SUV with the amount of donations collected!

We kept busy as elves in December as we also volunteered at Port Coquitlam’s Winter in the City event at Leigh Square where we got the chance to be Santa’s helpers and promote rotaract all at the same time!

YAIL 2018

Jaymee and Carter got the chance to facilitate at YAIL (Youth Adventures in Leadership) in February another youth leadership retreat for youth from both sides of the border within district 5050!

Raf, Ian, Jaymee & Kendra ready to sell some hot dogs!

In the Spring we got the chance to promote rotaract and sell some hot dogs at the SPCA’s Paws for a Cause walk at Town Centre Park in Coquitlam, it was a great success we raised lots of money for animals in need in the Tri-Cities!

RYLA 2018 was one for the books, Jessica, Jaymee and Carter got to facilitate at RYLA and had a wonderful time growing immensely as individuals and as a team of facilitators while being able to lead an exceptional group of young adults through one of the most life-changing weekends of their lives.

The 2017/2018 rotaract year was wonderful, we were able to make a difference in our community by getting involved as much as possible, we had socials throughout the year to continue connecting as a group, and some of our rotaractors even got to facilitate at multiple youth leadership retreats allowing them to make a lasting impact on the youth around us! we welcomed the new rotaract year with open arms!

Jaymee accepting an award on behalf of fellow rotaractor Sarah for her continued dedication the the club!

We are so grateful for the continued success of our club and can’t wait to see where this next rotaract year takes us, we have big plans ahead of us to celebrate our 5th year since chartering so keep updated with us as we continue to make lasting impacts on our community locally and globally!

On March 3, 2016 our club held our largest and most successful event to date! Our “West Coast Story” benefit concert, held at Inlet Theatre in Port Moody, was a fundraiser for Jaaja Barb’s Home of Angels Orphanage in Mpumudde, Uganda. The orphanage, started by Abbotsford native Barb Giraud, gives a home to orphans living with HIV/AIDS in acute poverty.

The night featured plenty of local talent including acoustic singers, Taiko drumming, and dance crews, and featured plenty of free food and prizes as well! In the end, we were able to raise $5188 for Barb and her Angels! Thank you to all of the performers, sponsors, and guests, you all helped make the night truly extraordinary!

This Christmas, we wanted to spread some Christmas joy to Barb’s Home of Angels, an orphanage of twenty children (and growing!) in Jinja, Uganda. We provided them with money for a Christmas dinner, which allowed them to purchase meat, chicken, matokee, irish potatoes, rice, bananas, watermelon, pineapple, and pop.

A photo of some of the children at Barb’s Home of Angels getting ready for their Christmas dinner! In the middle of the table is a tree they found, which they placed in a pot, and decorated with balloons

There was some money leftover which they used to buy underwear for the children. We also purchased twenty backpacks (one for each child) and filled them with art supplies for the girls, and toys for the boys, along with pencils and a Christmas card. The backpacks will be sent to Jinja in a container in March, which the Rotary Club of Tsawwassen has provided for Barb.

Barb’s Home of Angels is the same orphanage who received the proceeds from our benefit concert in the spring of 2014, and it was wonderful that we were able to help them out again!

Our International Service Committee organized a high tea event on Sunday, June 14 complete with live entertainment and tasty treats. In total, we raised $2,000 for a medical clinic in Ndola, Zambia! Thank you to everyone who supported us – especially the Rotary Clubs of Port Coquitlam Centennial, Central City, Port Moody, and our friends from the District 5050 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards.

Who doesn’t love a good game of dodgeball – especially when it’s to support a fantastic local cause? Our Community Service committee hosted a Dodgeball Tournament at Pitt River Middle School on Friday, May 8 to help raise money for Tri-Cities KidSport, so that all children in the Tri-Cities can enjoy the fun and benefits of organized sports.

Overall, nearly 100 participants came together to raise a grand total of $1,168.36 for the cause! Thank you to all of our players for coming out and supporting us #SoAllKidsCanPlay!